A Survey on Gastro-Intestinal Parasites of Non-Descript Dogs in and Around Arusha Municipality, Tanzania

Dogs are the most common pet animals worldwide and perform a range of cultural, social, and economic functions in society. The objective of this study is to investigate, through cross-sectional survey, the distribution, types and prevalence of gastro-intestinal parasites affecting dogs in and around Arusha municipality, Tanzania. Faecal samples collected from 241 non-descript, apparent healthy dogs were processed by sedimentation and floatations technique and then examined for protozoan oocyst and helminth eggs. Coprological examination revealed that 59.3% of the dogs excreted helminth eggs in their faeces. Dogs harbouring one-parasite eggs were more common (73.8%) than those harbouring two (12.4%) or three (0.4%). The data on the distribution of the various worm species in the positive dogs indicate that Ancylostoma caninum eggs were by far the most common (57.2%). The other detected worm egg species and their respective frequencies were: Toxocara canis (13.7%), Mesostesphanus spp. (1.66%) and Taenia spp. (0.4%). Protozoan eggs (E. canis) were detected in two samples. The prevalence of helminth eggs was higher in young dogs (puppies) compared to adults (p<0.05). The prevalence of different species of helminths also varied in different age groups, with Toxocara canis being higher in puppies than in adults (p = 0.005). Sex-wise prevalence of helminths was not significant (p>0.05). The high prevalence of gastro-intestinal helminth parasites of zoonotic potential registered in the dog population from a highly urban area in Arusha indicates a potential risk to human health. Increased awareness of their potential threat to human health coupled with additional research into the zoonotic capacity of Toxocara spp. and Ancylostoma spp. is desirable.